U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,501 discloses an arrangement for acquiring a signal corresponding to respiratory movement, which includes a pneumatic respiratory belt which generates a mechanical pressure signal and a pressure transducer which converts the incoming mechanical pressure signal into an optical signal using a flexible membrane. The flexible membrane is deformed by the pressure signal and has a reflective surface thereon so that a modulated light signal is generated corresponding to the pressure signal. This modulated light signal corresponds to the respiratory movement and is used together with a magnetic resonance imaging system for synchronizing or gating a generation of an image of a person, in order to avoid motion artifacts in the image caused by respiration.
This arrangement has the drawback that in addition to a device for providing an image a pneumatic respiratory belt is needed, which generates a signal comprising information about respiration.